1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to personal computer (PC) cards and, more particularly, to PC cards for use in combination with personal computers for collecting biological data on a real-time basis.
2. Description of Related Art
The United States health care system is currently in the midst of a transformation away from specialized medicine toward a more cost-conscious, primary-care oriented system. Devices having cost-effective means for diagnosing and monitoring patients are expected to gain prominence in the market place. Many current data acquisition devices exist in the medical industry, but few, if any, of these devices are economical, extremely lightweight and portable, accurate, versatile, and interchangeable with other biological data collection devices.
One prior art device, manufactured by the assignee of the present application, incorporates a diagnostic box which is adapted to interface with a serial port of a personal computer. This diagnostic box is manufactured with a relatively expensive housing, having a size approximately equal to that of a book, an alternating current (AC) chord and power adapter, a serial port cable, a microprocessor, and other hardware elements.
The diagnostic box allows a user to perform real-time spirometry operations, while harnessing the PC computer's display, keyboard, printer, and other items. The PC computer display instructs the user with selectable patient incentives, and user-customized reports can be generated. The display of the personal computer can be configured to display volume-versus-time and flow-versus-volume curves. Additionally, parameters such as maximum exhale volume, maximum inhale volume and maximum flow rate can be computed and displayed on the personal computer display.
Data acquisition cards have existed in the prior art for transferring electrical signals from a data sensor through the data acquisition card and into a personal computer. These data acquisitions cards have been configured into Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) cards.
Prior art data acquisition cards are often configured to measure potential signals ranging from zero to ten volts, and are often configured with twelve bit accuracy. A typical prior art data acquisition card may comprise a 30 pin connector and a cable, which is connected to a connector board. The connector board allows a user to hook up various signals thereto. In addition to the relatively high-voltage signal range (zero to ten volts), low-accuracy (e.g. twelve bits), extra hardware (30 pin connector, cable, and a connector board), and additional optional hardware, these prior art data acquisition cards are configured with a plurality of inputs and outputs and, further, are not adapted to convert a personal computer into a powerful biological data signal collecting, processing, and monitoring system.
Prior art data acquisition cards are not adapted for performing spirometry collection and analysis, since these cards are not equipped with pressure transducers for converting pressure signals into electrical signals. Even if these prior art data acquisition cards were equipped with pressure transducers, the cards would not be equipped with high-precision low-voltage signal collection and conditioning circuitry. A prior art data acquisition card, additionally, would not be suitable for other biological data collection and processing purposes, such as Electrocardiography (ECG) biological data collection, since these prior art data acquisition cards are not equipped with any insulating means for insulating a patient from potential shock, which may be delivered from the data acquisition card to the patient.
Another prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,115 to Morgan et al. The Morgan et al. patent generally discloses a PCMCIA format card which is adapted to perform as a data storage device, similarly to a floppy disc storage device. The PCMCIA format cart of Morgan et al. is equipped with a real-time clock for providing time and date data to the host system, in order to synchronize the host system time with the time of which the data was actually acquired. The PCMCIA format card of Morgan et al. does not provide any means for real-time data collection and processing and, accordingly, is not suitable for converting a host PC computer into a real-time biological data signal collection, processing, and monitoring system. The system of the Morgan et al. patent requires a separate dedicated computer device for acquiring the data, and a separate personal computer device for processing the data at a later time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,432 to Thomson discloses a spirometer which includes control electronics located remotely from a hand-held housing. Communication between the hand-held housing, which includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and an amplifier, occurs through a cable. A dedicated microprocessor including a simple keyboard structured and adapted specifically to control the operation of a spirometer is included in the Thomson device. The handle-shaped housing of the Thomson patent is quite different from a PC card.
A need exists in the prior art for real-time biological data signal collecting, processing, and monitoring systems, which are extremely lightweight and portable. The prior art has not introduced any cost-effective PC card, which is adapted to convert a host personal computer into any of a variety of real-time data collecting and processing systems.